Justices

The Chief Justice, Judges of Appeal and Judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. There are currently 23 Judges (including four Judges of Appeal and the Chief Justice), 4 Judicial Commissioners and 4 Senior Judges on the Supreme Court Bench.

A person may be appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court if he has been a “qualified person” within the meaning of section 2 of the Legal Professional Act and/or a member of the Singapore Legal Service for at least 10 years.

JUDICIAL COMMISSIONER MAVIS CHIONH SZE CHYI

JUDICIAL COMMISSIONER DEDAR SINGH GILL

JUDICIAL COMMISSIONER VINCENT HOONG SENG LEI

Justice See Kee Oon

Justice See Kee Oon was appointed Judicial Commissioner in 2014 and a High Court Judge in January 2017. In addition to his appointment in the Supreme Court, he concurrently serves as the first Presiding Judge of the State Courts.

He received his Bachelor of Laws from the National University of Singapore in 1991. He also holds a Masters in Law from the University of Cambridge, and a Masters in Public Management from the National University of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

He joined the Singapore Legal Service in 1991 and was appointed a Deputy Registrar and Magistrate in the Subordinate Courts (renamed as State Courts in 2014) before joining the Supreme Court in 1995 as a Justices’ Law Clerk. In 1997, he returned to the Subordinate Courts as District Judge. In 2007, he joined the Ministry of Law and headed the Insolvency and Public Trustee’s Office until 2009. He then returned to the Subordinate Courts in 2009 and was appointed Senior District Judge of the Criminal Justice Division in 2010. He became Chief District Judge of the Subordinate Courts in 2013 and continues to hold the appointment, now known as Presiding Judge of the State Courts.

Justice See chairs the Probation Committee, the board of the Community Justice Centre and the Criminal Legal Assistance Steering Committee. He is also Deputy President of the Industrial Arbitration Court. He also sits on the Military Court of Appeal.

Justice Valerie Thean

Justice Valerie Thean was appointed Judicial Commissioner on 30 September 2014 and subsequently as High Court Judge of the Supreme Court on 30 September 2017.

She was awarded the President’s Scholarship in 1988 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) from Downing College, Cambridge University, in 1991. She subsequently obtained her Master of Laws from Harvard Law School, in 1995.

Justice Thean joined the Singapore Legal Service in 1992. After her first posting as a Justices’ Law Clerk, she held various appointments within the public service, including Assistant Registrar at the Supreme Court, Senior State Counsel at the Attorney General’s Chambers, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Law and Senior District Judge of the Family and Juvenile Justice Division of the State Courts. She taught arbitration as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore Law Faculty.

Justice Thean was appointed the first Presiding Judge of the Family Justice Court (FJC) on 1 October 2014, a position she held concurrently while serving as a Judicial Commissioner.

Justice Belinda Ang Saw Ean

Justice Belinda Ang was appointed Judicial Commissioner in 2002 and a High Court Judge the following year.

Born in Malaysia, Justice Ang obtained her Bachelor of Laws from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1976. Thereafter, she was admitted as a Barrister-at-Law of the Middle Temple and an advocate and solicitor in Singapore. In 1979, she received her Master of Laws (with distinction) from the University College, London.

She joined M/s Godwin & Co in 1980 and was made junior partner in 1983. She also founded M/s Ang & Partners in 1985, her own boutique law firm. She was appointed Senior Counsel in 1998.

In 2018, she was appointed by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon to serve as the Judge in charge of the High Court to assist in overseeing the management of the High Court. She also sits in the Court of Appeal. In addition, Justice Ang is the Chairperson of the Singapore Mediation Centre.

Justice Choo Han Teck

Justice Choo Han Teck was appointed Judicial Commissioner in 1995 and a High Court Judge in 2003.

Justice Choo received his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Singapore (renamed as National University of Singapore in 1980) in 1979 and Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge in 1986.

He began his career as a legal assistant in M/s Murphy & Dunbar in 1980, before joining the National University of Singapore as a lecturer in 1984. Four years later, he joined M/s Allen & Gledhill as a partner, and in 1992, moved to M/s Helen Yeo & Partners in the same capacity.

He was also appointed President of the Military Court of Appeal in 2004.

Judge of Appeal Judith Prakash

Justice Judith Prakash was appointed Judge of Appeal on 1 August 2016. She was also the first woman to be appointed a permanent judge of the Singapore Court of Appeal. On 7 March 2017, she was appointed Judge of the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts where she serves on a part-time basis to hear appeal cases.

Justice Prakash received her Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) Degree from the University of Singapore (renamed as National University of Singapore in 1980) in 1974. She was admitted as an advocate and solicitor in Singapore the following year.

She started practice at M/s Chor Pee & Hin Hiong in 1975 as a legal assistant. She joined M/s Drew & Napier in the following year and was made a partner in 1978, specialising in shipping and commercial law. From 1974 to 1976, she served as a family law tutor at the National University of Singapore. She joined the Supreme Court as Judicial Commissioner in 1992 and subsequently became Judge in 1995, before her appointment as Judge of Appeal.

Justice Prakash was conferred the Public Service Medal at the National Day Awards 2005 and The Public Service Star at the National Day Awards 2017, for her work as Chairperson of the Board of Governors of Raffles Girls’ School.

She is a term trustee of the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) and a trustee of the Eurasian Association.

Justice Lee Seiu Kin

Justice Lee Seiu Kinwas appointed a High Court Judge in 2006 on 11 April 2006.

Born in Malaysia, Justice Lee was educated at St Paul’s Institution, Seremban and National Junior College, Singapore. He was awarded a Colombo Plan scholarship and obtained a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degree from the University of Adelaide in 1977. He worked as a civil engineer in the Public Works Department from 1977 to 1984, during which he obtained a Master of Science (Construction Engineering) from the National University of Singapore in 1982, and an MBA (with Distinction) from INSEAD in 1984. He was registered as a Professional Engineer in 1983.

Justice Lee read law at the National University of Singapore where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) degree in 1986. He went on to obtain a Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge in 1987. He joined the Singapore Legal Service in October 1987. He was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court in 1991.

Justice Lee was posted to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) as State Counsel and went on to become Senior State Counsel in 1994. He served in the Criminal, Civil and International Affairs Divisions of the AGC and also helmed its Computer Information Systems Department from 1989. On 15 October 1997, he was appointed Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court and served in the capacity for five years. He was concurrently the President of the Industrial Arbitration Court from September 1999 until October 2002. On 15 October 2002, Justice Lee was appointed second Solicitor-General, a position he held until his current appointment at the Supreme Court. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2003. He served on the boards of the Infocomm Development Agency (2003 to 2005), Competition Commission of Singapore (2005 to 2006), Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (2005 to 2006) and Monetary Authority of Singapore (2006).

Justice Lee currently holds the appointment of the chairman of the One Judiciary (IT) Steering Committee, as well as the chairman of the Legal Technology Cluster of the Singapore Academy of Law. Justice Lee is a member of the Legal Service Commission since April 2006.

He was one of the seven recipients of the prestigious “Meritorius Service Medal” during the National Day Awards 2017 for his contributions to the legal sector.

Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon

Chief Justice
Sundaresh Menon was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on 6 November
2012. He is the first Singapore-born Chief Justice.

Chief Justice
Menon graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) from the National
University of Singapore in 1986 and a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School in
1991. He was admitted as an advocate and solicitor in Singapore in 1987, and as
an attorney and counsellor-at-law in New York in 1992.

After he was
called to the Bar in Singapore, he practised with major local and international
law firms, primarily as an advocate, in the fields of commercial litigation and
arbitration, construction law and insolvency law. From 2006 to 2007, he served
as a Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court. He was appointed Senior
Counsel in 2008. In 2010, he was appointed the 6th Attorney-General
of Singapore, a post he relinquished in 2012 shortly before his appointment as
a Judge of Appeal. He was appointed to the Presidential Council for Minority
Rights upon his appointment as Attorney-General in 2010 and was later appointed
as its Chairman in 2012, upon his appointment as Chief Justice.

Justice Vinodh Coomaraswamy

Justice Vinodh Coomaraswamy was appointed Judicial Commissioner in 2012 and a High Court Judge in 2013.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from Nottingham University in 1990, and a Bachelor of Civil Law from Oxford University in 1998. He won first prize in the 1991 Trinity Bar Examinations, and later that year was called to the Bar of England & Wales by the Inner Temple. He was admitted as an advocate and solicitor in Singapore in 1992.

He began his legal career in Shook Lin & Bok in 1992 and became a partner in 1996. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2005. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators. He was also admitted in New South Wales (2005) and in New York (2007).

Justice Woo Bih Li

Justice Woo Bih Li was appointed Judicial Commissioner in 2000 and subsequently a High Court Judge in 2003.

He received his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Singapore (renamed as National University of Singapore in 1980) in 1977 before being admitted locally as an advocate and solicitor in 1978.

He joined the law firm of M/s Allen & Gledhill in 1980 and remained there until 1992. In October 1992, he set up the law firm of M/s Bih Li & Lee and became its Senior Partner. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 1997.

Judicial Commissioner Vincent Hoong Seng Lei

Judicial Commissioner Vincent Hoong was appointed Judicial Commissioner on 10 April 2019.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) (2nd Class Upper Division) from the National University of Singapore in 1982 and was admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court in 1983. He had a short stint in private practice before he joined the Legal Service in 1984.

From April 1984 to August 1997, he held various appointments in the Supreme Court as an Assistant Registrar and in the Subordinate Courts (renamed as State Courts in 2014) as a Magistrate and District Judge.

Judicial Commissioner Hoong managed the Singapore Land Registry of the Ministry of Law from September 1997 to May 2001 before being seconded to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) as Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Legal Officer, and eventually as Chief Executive from May 2009 to March 2015. During his tenure at the SLA, he also held concurrent appointments as the Registrar of Titles & Deeds and Controller of Residential Property from May 2000 to 31 March 2015 and as the Commissioner of Lands from August 2002 to April 2009.

He was appointed the Registrar of the Supreme Court in April 2015, a position he held before his appointment as a Judicial Commissioner. He has more than 34 years of experience in both judiciary and the legal service.

Justice Aedit Abdullah

Justice Aedit Abdullah was appointed Judicial Commissioner in 2014 and High Court Judge on 30 September 2017.

Justice Abdullah obtained a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 1994, as well as a Bachelor of Civil Law (First Class) from the University of Oxford in 1998 and a Master in Public Management from NUS in 2007.

He joined the Singapore Legal Service in 1995 and began his career as a Justices’ Law Clerk. He then taught at the Faculty of Law, NUS, before re-joining the Singapore Legal Service. He has held various appointments, such as Deputy Public Prosecutor, Deputy Senior State Counsel and District Judge of the Subordinate Courts (renamed as State Courts in 2014). He was appointed Chief Prosecutor (Economic Crimes and Governance Division), and subsequently Chief Prosecutor (Criminal Justice Division) at the Attorney-General’s Chambers in 2011 and served as special counsel at the Monetary Authority of Singapore from January 2008 to June 2009. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2012.

Justice Andrew Ang

Justice Andrew Ang was first appointed to the Supreme Court as Judicial Commissioner in 2004 and High Court Judge in 2005. In 2014, he retired before returning as Senior Judge in 2015.

Born in Singapore, he received his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Singapore (renamed as National University of Singapore in 1980) in 1971 and a Master of Laws from Harvard University in 1973.

He began his legal career in 1972 as a lecturer in the University of Singapore’s Law Faculty and then joined Lee & Lee in 1974 where he became a Partner in 1975. He left in 2004 to join the Supreme Court.

Aside from being a Senior Judge, he also serves as a Member of the Committee for Family Justice – a role to which he was appointed in 2013. Previously, he was a member of various organisations including the Land Transport Authority of Singapore, NUS’ Faculty of Law, and Monetary Authority of Singapore. He was also Chairman and Director of the Board of Singapore Mediation Centre, Chairman of the Legal Heritage Committee of the Singapore Academy of Law and Vice Chairman of the Academy’s Law Reform Committee.

Justice Ang was conferred the Public Service Medal by the President of Singapore in 2000.

Justice Ang Cheng Hock

Justice Ang Cheng Hock was appointed Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court on 14 May 2018 and High Court Judge on 1 August 2019.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (1st Class Honours) from the National University of Singapore in 1995 and a Master of Laws from Yale Law School in 1998. He served as a Justices’ Law Clerk in the Supreme Court in 1996 and 1997. He was called to the Singapore Bar in 1996 and admitted as an Attorney & Counsellor at Law in the state of New York in 1999.

Before his appointment as a Judicial Commissioner, Justice Ang was a partner in Allen & Gledhill, and a member of its Litigation and Dispute Resolution department. His main areas of practice included civil and commercial litigation, international arbitration and corporate-related disputes such as shareholders’ disputes, breaches of directors’ duties, securities-related and banking litigation, defamation and professional liability. He had also represented clients in insolvency related litigation, shipping disputes and intellectual property disputes. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2009.

Judge of Appeal Steven Chong

Justice Steven Chong was appointed Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court on 1 April 2017.

He received his Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the National University of Singapore in 1982.

He was admitted as an advocate and solicitor in 1983 and started practising law as an associate in Drew & Napier that same year. He was made Joint Managing Partner in 1997. In 1998, he moved to Rajah & Tann as Senior Partner before becoming Managing Partner in 2003. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 1998.

Justice Chong was appointed Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court on 1 October 2009 and subsequently a High Court Judge in June 2010.

He assumed office as the 7th Attorney-General on 25 June 2012 and served for two years. During his stint, he established the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) Media Relations Unit, launched the Public Prosecution Outreach Programme, led AGC to conclude key international treaties, including the European Union-Singapore Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and initiated legislative amendments to empower the Attorney-General to represent statutory boards in legal proceedings which led to the passing of the Attorney-General (Additional Functions) Act 2014. He resumed appointment as a High Court Judge on 25 June 2014 until his current appointment.

Justice Chao Hick Tin

Justice Chao Hick Tin was appointed a Senior Judge on 5 January 2018 and sits in the Court of Appeal.

He obtained his Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws from University College, London in 1965 and 1966 respectively. He was called to the English Bar in 1965 and admitted as an advocate and solicitor in Singapore in 1971. In 2013, he was elected as a Bencher of Middle Temple.

Justice Chao spent more than five decades in the public service. He began his career as a State Counsel in the Attorney-General’s Chambers in 1967 and rose to the position of Senior State Counsel in 1979. He joined the Supreme Court as a Judicial Commissioner in 1987 and was appointed a High Court Judge in 1990. He was subsequently elevated to a Judge of Appeal in 1999. In 2006, he was appointed the 4th Attorney-General and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2007. He returned to the Supreme Court in 2008 as a Judge of Appeal and Vice-President of the Court of Appeal, a position he held until his retirement on 28 September 2017.

During his judicial tenure, Justice Chao also served as the Vice-President of the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) and Chairman of its Corporate Development and Services Cluster. In addition, he was President of the Industrial Arbitration Court from 1993 to 1999, Chairman of the Singapore Mediation Centre from June 2003 to May 2006, and President of the ASEAN Law Association from Dec 2003 to November 2006.

He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang) in the National Day Awards of 2008 for his special contributions to the Pedra Branca dispute.

Justice Chao is one of the founding members of the ASEAN Law Association. He was also the first commander of the Volunteer Special Constabulary, holding the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police.

Justice Chua Lee Ming

Justice Chua Lee Ming was appointed Judicial Commissioner in 2015 and High Court Judge in January 2017.

He earned his Bachelor of Laws from the National University of Singapore in 1983 and was called to the Singapore Bar in 1984. He received his Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge in 1988.

Justice Chua began his legal career in 1984. He held various positions such as serving as Deputy Registrar and Magistrate of the Subordinate Courts (renamed as State Courts in 2014). He also served in the Supreme Court Registry for three years before becoming State Counsel and Deputy Public Prosecutor in the Attorney-General’s Chambers in 1989. Justice Chua left for private practice in 1990 and became a Partner of the law firm, Lee & Lee in 1991. In 1998, he joined the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation Pte Ltd (renamed as GIC Pte Ltd in 2013), where he later became the General Counsel.

He was a founding member of the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association, and has served on various committees of the Law Society of Singapore as well as the School of Law Advisory Board, Singapore Management University. Justice Chua continues to serve on various committees of the Singapore Academy of Law.

Judicial Commissioner Mavis Chionh Sze Chyi

Judicial Commissioner Mavis Chionh joined the Supreme Court on 12 March 2018.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Jurisprudence (1st Class Honours) from the University of Oxford before joining the Singapore Legal Service in 1991. She also has a Master of Laws (Chinese Law) from the National University of Singapore (NUS). She spent more than 25 years serving in a number of postings within the Singapore Legal Service, such as the then Subordinate Courts, the Civil Division of the AGC, the Insolvency & Public Trustee’s Office, and the Crime Cluster of the AGC where she served as Chief Prosecutor of the Financial and Technology Crime Division (formerly known as the Economic Crimes and Governance Division) and as Chief Prosecutor of the Criminal Justice Division. Before her appointment as a Judicial Commissioner, Judicial Commissioner Chionh was 2nd Solicitor-General at the AGC.

She was appointed a Senior Counsel in 2015 and received the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in the same year.

Justice Chan Seng Onn

Born in Singapore, he received his Bachelor of Laws from the National University of Singapore in 1986, and Master of Laws from Cambridge University in 1987.

He joined the Singapore Legal Service in 1987 and became State Counsel and Deputy Public Prosecutor in the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC). Subsequently, he was posted to Supreme Court as Senior Assistant Registrar in 1991, before returning to AGC as Senior State Counsel in 1994. He was appointed Judicial Commissioner on 15 October 1997. In 2001, he returned to AGC as Solicitor-General. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2001.

Before joining the legal service, Justice Chan was a Colombo Plan scholar. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University College, London. This was followed by a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and a Diploma in Business Administration from the National University of Singapore.

Justice Chan is currently the President of the Industrial Arbitration Court.

Judicial Commissioner Dedar Singh Gill

Judicial Commissioner Dedar Singh Gill joined the Supreme Court on 1 August 2018.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (2nd Class Upper Honours) from the National University of Singapore in 1983. Since then, he has been with Messrs. Drew & Napier LLC, with the exception of a one-year stint with Messrs. Harry Elias. Judicial Commissioner Gill specialises in intellectual property law.

He last held the position of Managing Director of the Intellectual Property Department of Drew and Napier LLC. He had appeared as counsel before the High Court and Court of Appeal for major corporate clients and has established a considerable reputation for his expertise and experience in intellectual property law.

Justice Hoo Sheau Peng

Justice Hoo Sheau Peng was appointed Judicial Commissioner on 30 September 2014 and subsequently High Court Judge on 30 September 2017.

A President’s Scholar, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) (Class I) from the University of Cambridge in 1992. She also holds a Master of Laws (Intellectual Property and Technology) from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and a Master in Public Management from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS.

Justice Hoo began her career as a Justices’ Law Clerk, and has been in the Singapore Legal Service for more than 20 years. She had served as Principal District Judge and Registrar of the Subordinate Courts (renamed as State Courts in 2014). In addition, she had also served as Deputy Chief Counsel (Advisory and Administration) of the Civil Division of the Attorney-General’s Chambers and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Singapore Legal Service.

Justice Kannan Ramesh

Justice Kannan Ramesh was appointed Judicial Commissioner in May 2015 and Judge of the High Court in April 2017.

He received his Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the National University of Singapore in 1990. He was then admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor in Singapore in 1991, and appointed Senior Counsel in 2012.

Before his appointment as a Judicial Commissioner, Justice Ramesh was Managing Partner of Messrs Tan Kok Quan Partnership, where he specialised in dispute resolution, insolvency and restructuring, and international arbitration.

He was also appointed as Board Member of the Singapore Aerospace Manufacturing Pte Ltd and M1 Limited. In the former, he had an added role as Executive Committee Member, while in the latter, he was Chairman of M1’s Risk Committee, as well as Member of their Nominating and Audit Committees.

He is a member of Singapore Academy of Law’s Law Reform Committee, and New York’s International Insolvency Institute (III) and is part of III’s Arbitration and Conciliation working group.

Justice Ramesh wrote Getting the Deal Through – Restructuring and Insolvency in 51 Jurisdictions Worldwide in 2010. He also authored the Singapore Chapter of the World Bank publication, Doing Business – Closing a Business Survey, published in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Justice Lai Siu Chiu

Justice Lai Siu Chiu was appointed Judicial Commissioner in 1991 and High Court Judge in 1994. She retired in 2013 before returning as Senior Judge in 2015.

Born in Malaysia, she received her Bachelor of Laws from the University of Singapore (renamed as National University of Singapore in 1980) in 1972. A year later, Justice Lai was admitted as advocate and solicitor in Singapore. She chose to further her studies and earned her Master of Laws degree from University College, University of London in 1977.

She began her legal career in Sim Teow Gok & Co in 1973. Within the same year, she moved to Allen & Gledhill where she became Senior Partner. Justice Lai left the firm in May 1991 to join the Supreme Court.

Her other appointments include serving as Chairperson of the Children Charities Association in 1984 and 1985, and being the Chairperson of the Singapore Academy of Law Membership & Social Committee – a position she relinquished when she retired from the Bench. Justice Lai was a member of the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony, a member of the executive board of the Yellow Ribbon Fund as well as of the Academy of Chinese Medicine.

Justice Lai is the first woman to be appointed as a Judicial Commissioner and Supreme Court Judge.

Justice Quentin Loh

Justice Quentin Loh was appointed Judicial Commissioner in 2009 and a High Court Judge in 2010. He is currently the Judge in charge of the Singapore International Commercial Court.

Before joining Supreme Court, he was Managing Partner of Cooma, Lau & Loh, a firm he co-founded in 1978. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 1999. In 2001, he moved to Rajah & Tann as an Executive Committee member before becoming Deputy Managing Partner in 2003.

Until his appointment as a Judicial Commissioner, he was also Director of Maxwell Chambers, a dispute resolution complex located in Singapore.

Justice Audrey Lim Yoon Cheng

Justice Audrey Lim was appointed Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court on 1 August 2016 and High Court Judge on 1 August 2019.

Justice Lim joined the Legal Service in 1994. She has considerable and varied legal experience in civil, criminal and family matters, with postings to the Supreme Court, State Courts, and Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC). She was appointed Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court in 2009, and subsequently the Deputy Chief Legislative Counsel of the Legislation Division of the AGC in 2013.

Justice Debbie Ong Siew Ling

Justice Debbie Ong was appointed Judicial Commissioner in 2014 and High Court Judge on 30 September 2017. She was appointed Presiding Judge of the Family Justice Courts on 1 October 2017.

Justice Ong earned her Bachelor of Laws from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 1989 and Master of Laws at the University of Cambridge in 1991. She was admitted as an advocate and solicitor in Singapore in 1990.

Her legal career began as an Associate Professor at NUS’ Faculty of Law in 1989, specialising in family law. While teaching, she also assisted the Family Courts as a court mediator and the Supreme Court as amicus curiae. In addition, she served as Chairperson of the Centre Governance Committee of the Tampines Family Service Centre, and Resource Consultant for the Law Society’s Family Law Practice Committee.

She was a member to various boards and councils, such as the Review Board constituted under the Children and Young Persons Act and the Advisory Board of “Marriage Central” constituted under the National Family Council. She is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Child and Family Quarterly Journal (United Kingdom), the Family Justice Rules Working Party, the Family Law Reform Working Group and the SAL’s Publications Committee and the Legal Education Cluster Committee. She currently co-chairs the inter-agency Committee to Review and Enhance Reforms in the Family Justice System.

Justice Ong published the book entitled International Issues in Family Law in Singapore in January 2015, and has contributed numerous articles in local as well as international scholarly journals.

Her accolades include winning the Singapore Academy of Law Merit Award and Legal Aid Bureau Amicus Award in 2013.

Judge of Appeal Andrew Phang Boon Leong

Dr Andrew Phang was appointed Judge of Appeal on 28 February 2006. He was appointed Vice-President of the Court of Appeal by Chief Justice in 2018.

Born in Singapore, he received his Bachelor of Laws from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 1982. He pursued his postgraduate studies at Harvard University, where he was conferred his Master of Laws and Doctor of Juridical Science degrees in 1984 and 1988, respectively. In 1990, he was admitted as an advocate and solicitor in Singapore.

He taught at the NUS Law Faculty from 1982 to 2000. In 2000, he was appointed Professor of Law at the Singapore Management University (SMU), and a year later, became Chair of the Department of Law at SMU’s Business School. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2004.

Dr Phang was appointed Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court on 3 January 2005 and elevated to a Judge on 9 December 2005, before his appointment as Judge of Appeal.

Dr Phang is the Vice-President of the Singapore Academy of Law and co-chairs the Legal Publishing & Knowledge Cluster.

His extensive publications include the local edition of Cheshire, Fifoot and Furmston’s Law of Contract and(together with Prof Goh Yihan) Contract Law in Singapore (Wolters Kluwer Law and Business, 2012). He is also General Editor of, as well as a contributor to, The Law of Contract in Singapore (Academy Publishing, 2012).

Judicial Commissioner Tan Puay Boon

Judicial Commissioner Tan Puay Boon joined the Supreme Court on 12 March 2018.

He joined the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) as a State Counsel in 1987 and was a Senior Assistant Registrar of the Supreme Court from 1991 to 1995. From 1995 to 2006, he was a District Judge of the then Subordinate Courts (now the State Courts), where he dealt with a range of cases covering civil, criminal and family law matters.

In January 2007, Judicial Commissioner Tan was appointed Director of the Legal Aid Bureau, Ministry of Law where he concurrently held the position of Chief Information Officer of the Ministry from June 2013 to April 2015. He returned to the State Courts in April 2015 and was the Principal District Judge of the Civil Justice Division until his appointment as a Judicial Commissioner.

Judicial Commissioner Tan has over 30 years of experience in the Singapore Legal Service. He was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 2014.

Justice Pang Khang Chau

Justice Pang Khang Chau was appointed Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court on 1 August 2016 and High Court Judge on 1 August 2019.

Justice Pang joined the Legal Service in 1995 as a State Counsel in the Civil Division of the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) where he acted as counsel for the government in various legal proceedings, including in cases before the High Court and the Court of Appeal. In 1998, he was posted to the Ministry of Law as Deputy Director, Legal Policy Division before returning to the AGC in 2002.

In 2012, Justice Pang was appointed the Director-General of the International Affairs Division of AGC, overseeing a department of lawyers, responsible for advising government departments on international law matters and representing the government in international negotiations and international disputes. He had been involved in the Land Reclamation dispute before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea, as well as in the Pedra Branca dispute before the International Court of Justice. Justice Pang was also the Deputy Agent for the Government of Singapore in the Railway Land arbitration before the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague and the leader of Singapore’s delegation in the negotiations with Indonesia over the maritime boundary in the eastern part of the Singapore Strait.

Justice Tan Lee Meng

Justice Tan Lee Meng was appointed Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court in 1997 and subsequently a High Court Judge in the same year. He retired in 2013 before returning as Senior Judge in January 2015.

Justice Tan was born in Malaysia and received his Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) from the University of Singapore (renamed as National University of Singapore in 1980) in 1972 and Master of Laws (with Distinction) from the University of London in 1974. He was admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor in Singapore in 1976.

He joined the National University of Singapore (NUS) Law Faculty in 1972 and became a Professor in 1988. He served as the Dean of the Law Faculty from 1987 to 1992, and became Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the NUS in 1992.

Justice Tan has authored two books, namely, The Law in Singapore on Carriage of Goods by Sea and Insurance Law in Singapore.

Justice Tan Siong Thye

Justice Tan Siong Thye was appointed Judge of the High Court in July 2014. Subsequently, he served as Singapore’s first Deputy Attorney-General for a three-year term. On 1 April 2017, he resumed appointment as a High Court Judge.

Justice Tan graduated with a Bachelor of Law (Honours) degree from the National University of Singapore in 1979 and obtained his Master of Laws (Merit) degree from the University College of London under the legal service postgraduate scholarship in 1992.

He started his legal career as a Deputy Public Prosecutor in the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) in 1979. In 1986, he was posted to the Subordinate Courts (renamed as State Courts in 2014) where he held various key appointments including Referee of the Small Claims Tribunals, Juvenile Magistrate and District Judge. He was posted to AGC as Senior State Counsel from 1998 to 1999.

In 1999, he assumed the post of Director of the Commercial Affairs Department until 2008 when he re-joined the State Courts as the Senior District Judge (later renamed the Chief District Judge in 2010). He was appointed Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court in October 2013, and subsequently Judge of the Supreme Court in July 2014. Shortly after, he was appointed Deputy Attorney-General on 1 Feb 2015 for a three-year term, before returning to the Supreme Court in 2017.

For his sterling contributions, he was presented the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 2003 and the Public Administration Medal (Gold Bar) in 2011.

In addition, Justice Tan was a member of the Military Court of Appeal and was also a field army commander with the rank of Colonel (reservist) in the Singapore Armed Forces. He received the Singapore Armed Forces National Serviceman of the Year Award in 1997 and the National Day Commendation Medal (Military) in 2002.